Who Experiences Greater Happiness When Dining Together? A Study of the Relationship Between Dining with Family Members and the Mental Health of Chinese Students

The mental well-being and dietary habits of adolescents have gained considerable attention over the past decades. The focus of most of the previous research has centered on the impact of specific food types and family meal frequency on mental health. However, the relationship between how often families eat together and other varied eating habits on the psychological well-being of young people remains under-researched. To address this, a survey was conducted among a large sample of students from Chinese elementary to high schools (N = 374,487). The study classified eating arrangement into three categories: only with family members, a combination of eating with family and other situations, and not eating with family at all. Findings indicate that regular meals with family correlate with a decrease in depressive symptoms and an increase in life satisfaction and positive mental health. This study also tested grade and gender differences. The highest grade range (10th -12th grade) showed the least impact on their mental health, which may be attributed to maturation and shifts in social relationships. The findings also suggest that the influence of eating arrangements on mental health was more pronounced among girls than boys, although this effect was relatively mild.